Complicated Like We Are
by bluemoonbabe
Summary: This is my interpretation of the events of NYE 2014 in Port Charles and what happens thereafter for Alexis/Julian and Ned/Olivia.
1. Chapter 1

i

Julian had been released from prison on New Year's Eve, but he still held his breath. He knew that no matter if he was behind bars or not, Alexis and he were no longer an item. He deserved this for what he had done to her; he had gained her trust and betrayed that trust by lying to her. Though it had been for her protection, it had done nothing to protect Alexis' heart. He was painfully aware of how much he had injured that trust and the intricately formed and intimate bond that he and Alexis had shared. That was why, now that he was out of Pentonville, his goal was to rectify his mistakes in order be with Alexis.

He was driving to Sam's penthouse, praying that Alexis would be home alone. He needed to talk to her without anyone there to interrupt or distract him from his ultimate goal. He had everything planned out in his head to the minutest detail. He knew that he wasn't a patient man, but he would learn patience. They would start off as friends, and he would resist the temptation to tease and test her ability to resist him. They would grow close again, and she would learn to trust him. He'd be a saint, and only tell words of truth to her. He would slowly pick apart the boundaries that she placed between them until they were all gone, and he would hold Alexis in his arms once more as a lover.

Before long, he found himself at the door of Sam's penthouse. He held his hand up to the door, ready to knock, but he was unable to. He was usually a confident man, but suddenly he was over swept by a feeling of shyness, of worry, of fear. All of the fears he had dreamed up while he was alone in a prison cell had jutted forward and attacked him when he was at his weakest. For the first time in a long time, he doubted that he could go through with this.

He was about to turn to leave when the door opened, and out came Alexis, adjusting her glasses. She looked up, to see him, and her heart skipped a beat. The feeling was quickly followed by a sense of betrayal and hurt. But at the same time, she was overflowing with joy to see Julian out of Pentonville. The potpourri of feelings confused her to no end.

"Julian," she uttered as plainly as she could. She willed herself to maintain a poker-face, though she knew that her looks would eventually give her cards away and she would leave the game with empty pocket and an aching heart.

"Alexis, I—um," Julian was panicking, "I came here to see—"

"Me? You came here to see me, correct? I mean, why else would you come here? I'm sure you would have texted Sam and arranged to meet at some place if you wanted to see her. Your impromptu visits are usually made because of some motive to see me, more often than not."

Julian felt like Alexis was a lawyer for an opposing client, carefully picking him apart in order to make a case. "Guilty as charged," he whispered, his voice a low growl. Even when he wasn't trying to seduce Alexis, his body would lose control and seduce her of its own free will.

Alexis tried to shake her lust off, but the tame tinder within her exploded into a strong fire. She felt weak for him, but tried to avoid a situation where she would fall prey to him. "I was just going somewhere, so I don't have to time to talk to you. Anything that needs to be said can be texted to me at any time. Good day, Julian," Alexis attempted to bolt out of the hallway, but as always, Julian stopped her.

"Please, all I want is to talk. Give me five minutes." Julian knew that he would be reduced to begging soon, and braced himself for the blows that his dignity, and not to mention his ego, would take.

Alexis sighed, turning around. She was fighting so hard with herself, but in the end the part that wanted to run from Julian ultimately lost. "Fine, but only five minutes."

Julian cheered on the inside.

Olivia was talking with Ned as he led her to her door, blushing heavily. She batted her eyes like a silly schoolgirl as he talked to her. He of course fell for it, because in his eyes all that Olivia did was truly beautiful.

"Thank you for the dinner, Ned."

"No, thank you for the wonderful company."

She leaned closer to Ned, hoping that she could steal a kiss. He leaned in too, at first, before stopping both himself and her. He remembered Alexis and suddenly felt conflicted. "I—Olivia, I don't think that I can do this."

She looked hurt, "Is it because of Alexis?"

Ned nodded solemnly.

She put her mouth close to his ear, and rested her hand on his chest. "But what about the time we slept together just weeks ago? Did you think of her then too?"

"Olivia, you know how special that night was for me and that I will forever cherish what we did that night."

"Then why the hell is Alexis stopping you?"

"Because it's not fair to hide behind her back and have a relationship with you."

"And it's not fair to you that she is having a relationship with Julian Jerome while dating you, if you can even call it dating."

Ned bit his lip before letting a breath out a speaking, "I'm truly sorry, Olivia. You mean a great deal to me, and I hope that things work out the way that they should."

She nodded and entered her home without saying goodbye to Ned.

A/N: In this story, Julian went to Pentonville for a time because he didn't except Carlos' offer. How/why he got out will be explained in the next chapter. This story will be my interpretation of the events on New Year's Eve and what happens from then on. It will have lots of twists and turns from I'm assuming the plot on the show will be.


	2. Chapter 2

ii

Alexis sat on her couch, putting up a hostile aura around her. She was not in the mood to be seduced by Julian, because just by him being in the same room as her was enough to make her heart pang with sorrow. Julian sat down on a chair across from Alexis, sensing that it was not the time to invade her personal space.

"The last time we talked… You came to me at the gallery, and things ended on such a sad note. I'm Sam's father and Danny's grandfather, and I don't want there to be tension between us. I know that what we had is in the past, and maybe we'll never be able to have that again—but I do not want us to have to avoid each other in public areas, to have to look away or even run away from the other person. I'll still be a part of your life because of Sam and Danny, and I want you to know that I'm not here to ruin your life. I'm here because we both love the same people and only want the best for them. I want to be a good father to Sam and a good grandfather to Danny, but in order for me to be able to do that, I want to make sure that you're going to be comfortable with me being around you for the purpose of spending time with my family, without me or my presence upsetting you." Julian held his breath for Alexis' response.

Alexis closed her eyes, trying to hide her emotions from him though she was aware that she was failing miserably. She hadn't heard much of what he was saying after he said, "I know that what we had is in the past, and maybe we'll never be able to have that again," because to Alexis, all that had happened before; their relationship and all that she held so near and dear to her heart, was all very much in the present. She was prisoner of her own heart, and her warden was her love for Julian. It was a jail she had no intention of escaping. There was a large part of her that she tried to ignore that was screaming at her, at the top of its lungs, to accept Julian for who he is. The voice inside of her head told her that if she were to give Julian a shot, he could rid himself of the mob. This time things would be different, that part of her would tell her. And though she couldn't ignore those thoughts, the best she could do was shove them aside and go with what she knew how to do best—she would run away.

Alexis was desperately searching for the words to say, ones that didn't have an subliminal meaning of "I love you," or "I still want you, I still need you, and I will always feel like I do." She bit her lip, and she spoke shakily but as strongly as she could. "I—I don't want there to be this overbearing weight between us either, but given what we had shared, it will be hard to just make it go away. I think with time maybe we'll drift into some sort of normalcy, but until then I will not forbid you from seeing Sam and Danny. They are very special to you, and I know how much you love them." They were too far apart for her to touch his arm, or squeeze his hand, and maybe she should have been grateful for the space between them. Yet, she didn't feel grateful for it at all; the space was a monstrosity to her, one that she wanted to rid them off. She yearned to feel him, to touch him, to be one with him. That need was consuming her ever so slowly.

"Thank you, Alexis…" Julian looked at the clock, noticing that his five minutes were up. He sighed, "You gave me five minutes, and I want to honor that. Thank you for your time." As he stood up, Alexis refused to let him go just yet. She reveled in his company, and her heart flourished in the feeling of painful love.

"Julian, before you go," she began hesitantly, but as she spoke every word became stronger. She grew confident that she would not let him leave so easily. "I was wondering—how did you get out of Pentonville?" It was a ridiculous question, because she knew all too well how he had been let out to walk a free man. She had privately spoken to the judge on her own, showing her documents with forged signatures that confirmed her, Alexis Davis, to be Julian's attorney. Alexis pointed out the misconstrued facts, and that Julian had been forced by Fluke to commit crimes, because if he didn't his family would have been killed. The judge had said that she would take her words into consideration, and after a few days of waiting, Julian had been set free. When Alexis heard this, she jumped for joy.

"I'm not too sure actually. All I know is that the judge had changed her mind." Julian took a few steps toward the door. "Is that all, Alexis?"

Alexis got up off of the couch and took a few steps toward him. Her heart was racing, and she could feel her blood pressure rising. She lusted for him, and her heart ached for her to be loved by him. "Um—actually, Sam and Danny were going to come back in a little bit. Maybe you'd like to see them?" It was a lie, but Alexis was growing more and more desperate by the second. "I'm sure that they would love to see you." What she really meant was that she would love to be with him just a second longer, before he left for God knows how long.

Julian was trying to read her, but he was getting mixed signals. He raised his eyebrow, "How long until they're here exactly?"

"I wouldn't say much longer than ten minutes. Maybe fifteen minutes tops."

Julian looked down at his shoes in an attempt to hide his smirk. "I suppose I can wait that long." He felt his own words betraying his intent, because he knew that ten minutes was far more than he could last without attempting to make a move on Alexis. He felt weakened by her presence. Her soft brown eyes were hypnotizing him, making him hunger for her. But, his goal was to be a gentleman—something he knew he would struggle to be for her. By nature, he was an alpha male and his goal was to have Alexis. To have Alexis entailed doing so much more than being a gentleman and the so much more was what he was interested in.

Alexis sat down on the couch, but this time the air around her was more welcoming. He sat down next to her, but left a defined space between them. "Maybe ten minutes of waiting together for Sam and Danny will be the first step for being normal around each other," Julian said to break the ice.

"Maybe you're right." Alexis hand inched itself closer to Julian's on the couch. She felt herself heating up, and prayed that she wasn't blushing. "Danny loved the toy train set you got him for Christmas…even if you weren't here to give it to him yourself."

"I imagined playing with him with that train set I got him ever since I went on trial. I am so glad that he loves it. You know what?—I think that's the first thing I'm going to do with Danny when he gets home—play with him and that train set."

"He always asks for you at bedtime. You and your stories. I'm surprised, really. I never knew that you were so fond of princesses."

If they were together, Julian would have said, "I'm fond of only one princess and her name is Alexis," but he held that comment to himself. "They are not stories of princesses. They are stories of nights defeating dragons…to win the hearts of princesses."

Alexis laughed, "So, they're princess stories?"

Julian's heart broke at the sound of Alexis laugh. "Okay, you win. They're princess stories." And there it was, for a brief moment—Alexis' hand had touched Julian's. He wondered if he had imagined that brief moment. His heart had jumped out of his chest, and he felt faint. For a moment it was like when they had first started to get to know each other; both felt like nervous teenagers with crushes on each other, but now it was so much more than a crush. What they shared was deeper, more intimate; they were so in love that being in love was pain and pleasure all at once.

Alexis cursed herself for touching him, but at the same time she felt elated that she taken the chance to. Yet, it did nothing to quell the fire raging inside of her, if anything that same fire only intensified. "I—um—Julian…"

"Alexis…" He stared deep into her eyes, his body betraying him as he closed the space between them. Just as he was about to back away, Alexis put one hand on his chest and the other cupped his face. "We shouldn't do this," he whispered, both afraid and excited about what would happen next. He should have known the moment he had agreed to stay to wait for Sam and Danny, that their walls would come down and they would give into their carnal desires.

"I don't care," she husked out as she claimed his lips.

He grabbed her ass and pulled her forward so that she would be on his lap. Their hands began to wander, and one by one their articles of clothing were removed and chucked across the room. "Sam and Danny aren't coming home, are they?" Julian asked, finally catching on to Alexis' scheme.

"They won't be home for God knows how long," Alexis mumbled against his neck as she pressed kisses down his neck, to his chest.

"This will only break our hearts even more," he breathed as he cupped Alexis' bare breasts in his hands.

"I'd rather be broken with you than broken and alone without you." This was a moment of pure desperation, but also of pure love. "Just make love to me," she whimpered as Julian kneaded her breasts with his hands, "Show me that you still love me," these broken words, so fragile and filled with emotion hit Julians straight in the heart like cupid's arrow. "Because, goddamnit Julian—I love you more than words can express." She took his hand and put it on her chest, right above her heart. "Don't you feel how hard my heart is beating for you?"

"I have always loved you, and I always will, Alexis. Never forget that." Julian picked her up in his arms, and he carried her bridal style to her bedroom. "Every day I was in prison, I fell asleep to the image of you in my mind. You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"I'm not sure if I even slept since we broke apart… It's all been such a blur. I just remember feeling like I'm no longer myself, like a huge chunk was torn out of me." Alexis brown eyes were soft and sincere, filled to the brim with love. As her beautiful lips uttered those words, tears had formed in both of their eyes. "And I want to feel whole right now, Julian."

"I do too, Alexis." He climbed on top of her, slowly, grinning. They stared into each other's eyes, never daring to look away. The both couldn't believe that this was real. "Don't close your eyes," he exhales. "Not for a single second, darling." His breath makes Alexis' skin form goosebumps.

As he entered her depths, she willed her eyes to stay open as she threw her head back and moaned out. It had felt like an eternity since they had been joined intimately, and now that they finally were, it felt like God had presented them with a small gift on this New Year's Eve, one that they would treasure forever.

He rocked into her slowly, and they both shook from pleasure. Alexis squirmed beneath him, and Julian was barely able to keep himself from coming. "Harder," she groaned and he willingly followed her command.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him ever nearer to her. For a second they almost broke eye contact, but Alexis pulled his face to hers, uttering, "We don't want to lose a single second of this to blinking."

He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her slowly. She could feel his hunger for her permeating through the kiss. They parted to breathe, but soon their lips found each other again. It had been too long since she had felt those sweet lips upon her own, far too long since she had tasted his sinfully delicious taste, far too long since she had almost died due to lack of oxygen from being unable to separate herself from him.

He began to thrust into her faster, making her vision grow blurry as her walls tightened around him. "Julian, I'm going to—" she began, but finished with a loud moan that shook walls. They climaxed, their vision falling into a haze of vivid colors. Julian collapsed on top of her, panting. He rolled onto the bed, and Alexis quickly rested her head on his chest, clinging on to him.

"Don't go," she begged, "not yet."

"I'm not going anywhere," he kissed the top of her head.


	3. Chapter 3

iii

Soon after came the trail of tears and change of heart. And Alexis regretted falling to her feelings for him, regretted that she let him get to her—even though he had done barely anything at all, except come asking for normalcy, to provoke her. As her tears flowed, Julian wrapped his arms around her, holding her unsteadily because he too now felt weak. He had known that she would only tell him to leave once she realized what they had done, but knowing that didn't lessen the pain any more.

"There's nothing I can say that will change your mind, is there?" Julian uttered shakily.

She closed her eyes tightly, her fingers curling on his chest. She shook her head, "It's my fault for loving you so much."

"Tell me that you want me to go, and I'll go Alexis. But I won't come back, knocking on your door, asking for you to take me back. I'm not going to play that game with you, Alexis. If you truly love me, and if you truly want me—you have stop yourself from telling me to walk away."

She began to press kisses on his chest, "I need time, Julian."

"I've given you time. Do you want to know what time does, Alexis? Time puts doubts and fears into your head, and makes the pain in your heart grow. It won't change what I've done or how you feel."

"If you weren't in the mob," she choked out, "I wouldn't need time. I wouldn't need to think. All I would ever need is you." She was shaking from the agony she felt over him; never in her life had she felt more conflicted. "I want you; I want you so bad."

"But you don't really want me if I'm in the mob, and you should have thought about that before you started pushing me away, Alexis. I'm back in, deeper now than before, and we continue running in circles around each other. It's hard to get out, and you'll die, Sam will die, Danny will die, Lucas will die—everyone I ever loved and held near and dear to my heart will perish if I even attempt to get out."

"It's always the same excuse, the same reasons. If you love me, you would get out of the mob for me," Alexis turned so that she could look at him. "You told me to never forget that you love me—well, Julian, should I?"

"But if you loved me, you would accept me for who I am."

"Then go," she stammered, the words flow coldly and unnaturally from her lips.

"It doesn't have to be this way," he rises from the bed, his back turned from her. "Alexis, I don't want to give up on us."

"You're giving up on us by remaining in a line of work that I will not tolerate." She found herself crawling to him, her actions contradicting her words. "You gave up on us when you decided to keep the truth from me," her voice was low and filled with remorse. She wrapped her arms around him from the behind, breathing in his musky scent and pressing kisses against his neck. "Just go," she whispered, "Go and get yourself killed in the mob. And one day I'll be at your funeral in tears, because you didn't give up that life. And I will kick and scream and go wild, because even I couldn't save you—the people you love couldn't convince you to choose them over blood and riches." Trails of her tears ran down Julian's back, and they grew colder the further they trickled down. "And I'll be left with this heartache, because I love you no matter who you are. I'll love you, even if you kill a man or twenty. I'll love you even if you're rotting in a jail cell or bringing a corpse to dinner. But, I can't be with you, no matter how much I love you—no matter if my heart belongs to you—if you're going to turn your back on me and work for the mob. You say you're in too deep. If you are, then go." But she only held on to him tighter.

Julian was staring blankly at the floor, tears falling from his face, but he sat there as still as a statue. "Then why won't you let me go, Alexis? Why are you clutching me to you right now?" He turned abruptly, and pinned her to the bed. He captured her lips, "Because if you want me to leave so badly, since I'm still in the mob why the hell would you hold me in your arms like you did?" He trailed kisses down her abdomen, leaving his tears as a marker for where his kisses had been. She arched her back at his touch, and mewled out his name so sweetly. "Tell me to stay, Alexis," he fell into her depths, once again thrusting into her, "tell me to stay and we'll go from there."

She dug her fingers into his shoulders; blood dripped from the wounds she would leave. It would no doubt scar, but it would forever mark him as hers. She struggled to form words other than his name; he consumed her like fire consumed her home all those months ago in the forest, taking all and leaving nothing behind. "Tell me—" she cried, "tell me you'll leave that mob."

"It's not going to work like that," he shifted position ever so slightly and found her g-spot; she quivered beneath him in response. He slowed his pace, and brought his lips to hers, but stopped just millimeters away, "Take a leap of faith," he uttered, "if you love me like you say you do."

"I can't," she whines, and in the torturous pain of the moment she orgasmed, crying louder than ever before, screaming his name out in sorrow and in pleasure. She collapsed beneath him, closing her eyes.

He removed himself from her and walked out of the door wordlessly. He picked up his clothing from the living room floor and put it on, tears splattering over his shirt and coat. Alexis ran down the stairs in her bathrobe as he made his way to the door. She flung her arms around him, sobbing. "Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay," she repeated like it was the only word she ever knew.

"How long will you tell me to stay before you grow sick of me being in the mob and throw me out again?" His hand reached for the door handle, "You've already changed your mind two times now since you told me to stay only minutes ago. I'm not your toy; you can't break me and ask for a new one."

"Why can't you get out?" she asks so innocently that Julian found it almost pitiful.

"Because I'm in too deep, far too deep, Alexis."

She let go of him, and whispered, "Go."

He stood frozen, the weight of the moment sitting on top of him. He didn't plan for it to go this way.

"Go!" she screamed, and before she could even blink he's gone—the door slammed, and she collapsed onto the ground, asking herself why she wasn't chasing after him down the hall. Get up and run after him, she told herself, but her legs were too weak and her heart even weaker. Soon, she could no longer hear his footsteps outside of the hall, and she whispered brokenly, to no one, "Stay."

Julian was alone in the Metro Court bar. It had closed for the night, but he had broken in, in desperate need for a drink or two or eight. He didn't want to feel anything, particularly the heavy weight in his chest. He had taken a bottle of vodka out from behind the counter and didn't even bother with a glass. When he had realized that he had chosen a bottle of vodka, his heart recoiled in his chest. His heart beat had turned into an aching throb; vodka was Alexis' favorite drink. He drank the liquid as if it were ambrosia, the sweetest drink on earth. His eyes grew bloodshot and his vision was blurred. The alcohol numbed all his senses, but the heartbreak.

He heard someone enter the room, sniffling. He stood up, staggering forward, "Alexis?" he slurred out.

"I shouldn't be surprised, Jerome," Olivia spat. "Did you know that breaking and entering is a felony? Not that it matters, considering that you've done worse."

"I don't feel like listening to you bitch to me, so why don't you leave me alone for a while? I'll even leave extra for the vodka."

Olivia sat down in a stool, "As much as I dislike you, I'm not going to leave you here alone. I don't want you destroying my hotel on your way out, in any case."

Julian sat back down, taking a swig out of the bottle.

"Sheesh, Alexis must have hurt you pretty badly. What did you do this time?"

"It's none of your business, Mama Pasta. Now go stick your nose in someone else's cannoli."

Olivia chose to ignore the statement; he was drunk after all. It was more fun to get on his nerves while he was sober. As Julian drank, she stared out blankly into the distance, consumed by thoughts of Ned… She had messed up and gotten involved with a man who was hung up on another woman. And now, she was left with more than a heavy heart to carry. She began to cry.

"I'm surprised that you don't cry alfredo sauce," Julian joked. "So are you going to tell me what's bothering you, or are you going to annoy me with your incessant sniveling for the rest of the night?" Julian was astonished that he could even manage to say those words, considering how much alcohol he had imbibed. "I probably won't remember any of it in the morning, anyway. You might as spill your heart out."

"I'm pregnant." It was just the two words, sitting in the air.

"Who's the lucky son of a bitch?"

"Ned." His name came out as a contorted sob.

"I'm surprised he has it in him to even reproduce."

Olivia slapped Julian. "Why the hell couldn't you just keep Alexis to yourself? Why did you let her run over to Ned in order to try to get over you? Goddamnit, I wouldn't be in this position if Ned could see that he wants me more than he wants to be used by Alexis. Couldn't she just stick to one man, just you?"

Julian threw the bottle of vodka across the room; the bottle shattered loudly against the floor. Olivia screamed. If there were more items around him, he would have thrown that too. "Alexis doesn't want Ned, do you understand that? And don't talk about her like that—she is not some whore!"

Olivia bit back any comment she had to say, save for one. "In the end, I'm pregnant and you're heartbroken. And the people we love are going to pretend like they're with each other."

"And what are you suggesting we do?"

An idea was born in Olivia's head. She wasn't sure that it was the best plan, or the wisest—but it was the only one she had. "Say you're the father."

"And how the hell is that going to help us?!" Julian yelled, not aware of exactly how loud he was.

"Quiet down, I don't want you waking up the entire hotel. Maybe if we play-pretend, make this pretend-family, Ned and Alexis will see how stupid they've been. And they'll split apart, because they won't be able to be with each other knowing the person they truly love is with the wrong person. That way, I'll be able to work on fixing things with Ned, and you'll be able to work on fixing this with Alexis. The truth will come out in the end, and all we be well."

"That is the stupidest idea I've ever heard in my life."

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Olivia grabbed Julian's arm, but he shook her off.

"I have no fucking clue." Julian stared at his empty hands, "But I have no vodka left, so I might as well leave."

Julian walked out of the bar, and caught a cab. He passed out on the floor when he entered his home, and the last words that slipped out of his mouth were, "Alexis, we fucked up this time." When Julian woke up, he remembered that he and Olivia had talked, but he didn't remember what it was about… Then he remembered her grabbing his arm. Then it hit him—did he sleep with Olivia last night? Julian knew that he had made many mistakes the day before, but he couldn't believe that he had done something so drastic (and to him, slightly repulsive). What he didn't know was that in a little over a month's time Olivia would tell the town that Julian Jerome was the father of her child.


	4. Chapter 4

iv

Olivia was pregnant…with his child. At least that was the world on the streets. Julian sat, staring blankly into space. His life had always been complicated, but now it was a convoluted mess. How could he have done such a thing? Was he too inebriated to even put some plastic condom on before he slept with her? And he wondered; did he call her Alexis when they had fucked? Because he certainly knew that he did not make love to Olivia all those nights ago—it was nothing but a one night stand, only fucking, no emotions attached. He could only make love to Alexis. When he had slept with Olivia all those nights ago, it was out of desperation—there was no other explanation. He hadn't been sure if he had imagined the whole liaison, but now that he had heard that Olivia was pregnant with his child, there was no doubt about what had happened. He was overcome with an immense feeling of nausea; how could he do this to himself and how could he do this to Alexis?

Alexis walked up to the Quartermaine mansion in tears. She was surprised that her body hadn't fallen apart as she walked up the stairs, because deep within she felt like she was being tugged and torn apart. Olivia was pregnant—with Julian's baby! Oh, it couldn't be true. There was not a single chance; it was just some rumor that Carly or another broad in Port Charles had made up to spite her. She shook her head, her heart heaving—Julian, oh Julian. No matter how much pain it caused, she thought back to him, thought of how they had ended, and now of how Julian had made a beginning with another woman (if it was indeed true).

Alexis didn't know who to turn to, and so she turned to her old friend, Ned. He would be there for her, to offer friendly comfort and any information that he knew on the subject of Olivia and Julian. She hated those two names together; found them utterly revolting next to each other. Ned would have to know something, since he was friends with Olivia—he would tell her that this is just a horribly exaggerated rumor.

She gathered her strength to knock on the door, but all she managed to do was tap weakly only the door and pray that someone heard her. The door opened, and Ned was there to greet her. She looked up with him, tears streaming down her sunken cheeks and Ned welcomed her with open arms. She accepted the embrace, because she needed to be held by someone—though, his arms were not nearly as comforting as Julian's, and they lacked the amount of love he could provide her with, with just a simple touch.

"I should have called to check how you were fairing," Ned said, as he closed the door. His voice filled with concern. "It's never easy to hear what your ex does, even with time."

Alexis wanted to tell Ned that she didn't think of Julian as her ex, but rather as someone she was taking time away from until he chose to be with her and not in the mob. She had still so much hope that he still wanted a relationship with her and that he would find a way out. She prayed to God every night, but even God was failing her—and instead of answering her prayers, He had cursed her by handing Julian over to Olivia.

Ned put his arm around Alexis' waist and guided her to the living room. It truly saddened his heart to see a woman who he loved so dearly to be crying the way she was. Yet, he was angered by the fact that she was crying over Julian. It wasn't the type of tears one would shed during a momentary breakdown, no; it was the type of tears one shed when they were mourning every day, grieving so much so that they lost sleep in the night due to being unable to stop crying. And all of it was for whom? Julian Jerome. And Ned swore that Julian didn't deserve Alexis' tears or love.

"Honey, calm down." Ned attempted to comfort Alexis, and he wished that she would rest her head on his shoulder or something—show him that she wasn't explicitly using him. "Do you want to talk about it?" But, in the end, he still cared.

"Is it true, Ned?" Alexis gasped for air, "Is it really Julian's?" the sentence came out unnaturally from her lips.

"According to Olivia, it is." but it didn't slip his mind that he had slept with Olivia all those weeks ago… But she had apparently gotten impregnated by the son of a bitch on New Year's Eve, and so he ruled out the possibility of being the father. He had reason to believe her, but in the back of his mind there was the tiniest paranoid part of him that whispered to him, 'she's a dirty liar'. He chose to ignore those whispers. "And I wouldn't doubt her. It happened on New Year's Eve, and chances are that they were both probably drunk."

New Year's Eve… that was the day she had only broken their hearts even more, though Julian had warned her that that would happen. She began to sob harder, unable to control her emotions. She was allowed to break down like this once in a while, because so often she bottled up every emotion she ever felt and shoved it in the back of the cupboard for later.

"You two were broken up long before any of this happened, Alexis. He didn't cheat on you. He could never see how beautiful of a person you truly are, if he let go of you so easily."

But Ned had no idea what he was talking about; Julian hadn't let her go, she had pushed him away. She had pushed him deeper into the mob and she had practically chucked him at Olivia. But there was one more thing that Ned didn't know, and she wasn't sure if she could tell him. But the words managed to slip out of her lips between her broken sobs anyway. "I'm pregnant, Ned."

Alexis remembered the day she had went for a checkup at the doctor's office. She had been feeling fatigued for a few weeks and she hadn't thought much of it, choked it off to symptoms of perimenopause, and went on with her life. But after he doctor performed a test on her urine, he had congratulated her with these exact word, "Well, Ms. Davis, congratulations—you're pregnant." Alexis had stared at the doctor for a moment, before promptly passing out on the exam table. Alexis was snapped back into reality now, looking at Ned.

Ned looked at Alexis in shock and in pain. "What do you mean you're pregnant?"  
>"Julian and I slept on New Year's Eve together. And I was the one who instigated it. I begged him; I told him that we could find a way and then I didn't give him a chance to be with me after we had slept together. And of course, I have to get pregnant. At the same time as Olivia, because that's life. And life's out to screw you over; life's always been out to screw me over."<p>

Ned couldn't believe the words he was hearing. Was this all some ridiculous nightmare? He hoped that he would wake up from it soon, if it was.

"I shouldn't have let him walk out of my door so easily. Oh God, I fucked up. I fucked up so badly!"

"And what about us?" Ned wanted to say, but he realized all he ever was to Alexis was a shoulder to cry on and someone to lean on when she and Julian were in a rough patch. He was her friend; they always were just friends.

"Are you going to tell Julian, then?"

"How can I after he found out that Olivia is pregnant with his child? Not to mention, he wants nothing to do with me now that I haven't accepted him for who he is."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. You acted like you were through with him, played with his heart, not to mention mine as well considering the fact that we were supposedly dating. But, he did you wrong a thousand times over and you were searching for a way to forget him. You clearly couldn't and you handled that poorly. You can cry on my shoulder if you want, vent to me as much as you like, but in the end I'm not going to tell you how to live your life."

Alexis couldn't find the words to retort, because what Ned had spoken was true. "You're right," she said breathily, "And I'm sorry for abusing your friendship and trust the way I had."

Ned put his hand on her shoulder and Alexis looked up at him innocently. "Hey, we've failed each other a thousand times over, but we always end up friends in the end. I was an idiot for thinking that maybe you could love me like you did all those years ago. Maybe, I was just trying to bring back something that never was there in the first place."

Alexis smiled, "I did love you so much back then, Ned. I still do, but it's the kind of love that you would have for a brother, you know just not a crazy Cassadine brother." She smiled weakly, and let out an awkward laugh.

He laughed softly. Ned was at least glad to see Alexis smiling, though he knew that she was a wreck on the inside. "Look, Alexis, I know you're wallowing in a pit of your own mistakes right now, but I don't want you to forget that we all—Julian, Olivia, you and I—are all to blame for what has happened and what is going to happen from here on. And the best thing to do is to handle everything to the best of our abilities and pray that something good comes out of it."

Alexis nodded, glad that Ned was still being a wonderful friend to her. She knew that he was mad at her for using him, but she also knew that he understood her motives for it and that in the end he was slowly coming to terms with that. "Thank you, for screwing my head back on."

"I'm always glad to help."

Julian found himself jogging in the park, without his shirt on despite the cold weather. He needed to clear his mind and numb the pain in his heart. Alexis had pushed him away, and he had pushed her back. They had avoided each other for weeks, though he had never stopped thinking about her. Part of it was the guilt he had felt for sleeping with another woman when his heart still belonged to Alexis. He wasn't scared that she would be angry with him for sleeping with Olivia, what he was terrified about was her finding out that Olivia was pregnant with his child. How would she react to that? He knew that she still loved him, and the thought of her heart breaking at the news sent him into a slight depression.

And there was Olivia, off in the distance, talking to Dante and Lulu. He stopped dead in his tracks, unsure of what to do. He felt a dead weight in his chest, and he just couldn't believe that Olivia was pregnant with his child. He looked at her, and there was no connection—there was only the unbearable feeling of a mistake he shouldn't have made, a mistake that he couldn't undo. How was this possible? But the answer was a bottle of vodka, a broken heart, and a warm body. The baby had just been an innocent byproduct of a one night stand, and the baby was not to blame for his mistakes. He would eventually have to confront Olivia, but now was not the time. He had so much on his plate, and he wondered if Alexis was still on it too. He turned away, jogging off, and thinking to himself, how he could fix things with Alexis.

A/N: I wasn't planning on doing another pregnancy story with Alexis, at least not one that was set in the present, but you know, it happened anyway. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and thank you for the lovely reviews.


	5. Chapter 5

v

Julian had called Alexis dozens of times, sometimes leaving messages, other times throwing his phone across the room in anger and impatience. Alexis had been avoiding him at all costs, he knew that much. He feared that she had heard the news of Olivia's pregnancy. He wanted to tell her that Olivia meant nothing to him, that it was just a one night stand that he couldn't even remember. He had no intention of getting together with Olivia, but he had every intention of fixing things with Alexis.

Julian had lost his patience eventually; he was done with waiting for Alexis to change her mind and decide that she wants him to despite the recent events and heartbreak. He had barged into Mason, Petrovic and Miller one day, pushing Diane aside as she threatened to call the police for him trespassing. Alexis looked up from her papers, and took the sight of him in. He had lost weight and exhaustion was written all over the bags underneath his eyes. Yet, he still looked unbelievably handsome to her. Her pen dropped out of her hand and her mouth was agape; she felt a sharp pain in her chest.

"I'm sorry, Alexis. I couldn't get him to leave." Diane had put up a fight, but it was only halfhearted. To tell the truth, she dearly wanted Alexis to be with Julian. She knew Alexis well, and she felt like Julian was meant for her. They were both stubborn, opinionated people who wore their hearts on their sleeves. Alexis had a penchant for falling for mobsters, but at the same time loved men who were caring and had the capacity to change. Julian fit the bill, if only he would walk the extra mile and rid himself completely of the mob for Alexis. And he would, if only Alexis would stand by him. So, with a nod, she left the two alone, in hopes that they would work out their differences.

"I'm sorry, but I'm busy with working on a case right now. I cannot take visitors, and don't think I will have the time to in the foreseeable future. Please do not come back or I will call the police." Alexis breathed the words coldly and brought her eyes back to her papers, desperately attempting to ignore the way her heart was beating because of his presence. He hadn't uttered a single word or even made physical contact with her, and she could already feel herself tremble and grow weak. Thinking of how he affected her reminded her of the times that he had made her quiver, but she ripped herself by force away from those memories.

"It will only take a minute. That's all I'm asking of you."

"You asked me for five minutes last time and that only ended in disaster." She shooed him away with her hand.

"I'm begging you." He was ready to plead on his hands and knees before her, kiss her feet and beg for forgiveness.

Alexis sighed, knowing all too well that she was incapable of refusing him. She had softened ever since she had found out that she was pregnant, and he was making her grow even softer in that small moment. "One minute," she uttered hostilely, looking up from her paper.

"That's all I'm asking for." He sat down in the chair in front of her desk and folded his arms over it. "I've done you wrong so many times Alexis, broken your heart and betrayed your trust. I would like to think that I did it for the right reasons, to protect my family and those who I love, but maybe you don't see it that way or think that it isn't a viable excuse. I've done inexcusable crimes that I should be convicted for, but the worst thing I've ever done in my entire life is hurt you."

Alexis stopped him right there. "Nothing you say will change my mind, Julian." The words were affecting her, and she prayed that he would tell her that he was out of the mob…and that his tryst with Olivia meant nothing to him. Though, she didn't know what she would do if he did. They would only be words, and words wouldn't change the past. Behind her desk, her hand was on her abdomen, rubbing circles into it, thinking, "Little one, listen well—I don't know when the next time you'll hear your daddy's voice will be."

"I know, but I want to give it a shot. I'm here to apologize for the pain I've caused you, the pain I've caused to Molly and Sam. But I'm here to apologize for one more thing too… I don't know if you have heard, but Olivia is pregnant—she's pregnant with my child."

In her imagination, Alexis had broken down into tears and curled up into a ball. She bit back the tears and screams that she wanted to let out. She had thought that she could handle hearing him say those words once, but it was much harder than she had thought it would be now that he had. "I heard."

"She doesn't mean anything to me, Alexis. She isn't the person I think of every night when I go to sleep and every day when I wake up. She's not the person I can't imagine living the rest my live without. She's not the one who makes me heart race from her touch or heart beat in pain when she's gone. Alexis you're the person who does that to me, and so much more. You're the woman that I love."

"Please go, Julian."

"I can't and I won't—not until you tell me that you want to be with me as much as I want to be with you, because oh God Alexis, I want to be with you. I know that I've done you wrong, but I want to make up for it. If you want me out of the mob, I will find a way out. The mob isn't who I am. Who I am is a man who has fallen so irrevocably head over heels for the most beautiful, most enthralling woman in the entire world."

"Your minute is up. I will call the police if you off the premises within the next thirty seconds." She shut her eyes tightly; it was hurting her so much to push him away like this. He was giving her everything she had wanted, telling her what she had always wanted to hear from him. And though his words sounded sincere, she was too stubborn to let them win her over so easily. She had made that mistake one too many times, and now it was difficult to trust him or even trust herself in regards to him.

"Don't be so cold. I know you want me, Alexis. I know you love me. Please tell me that you still do."

She opened her eyes; tears spilled over their brims.

"Darling," he whispered, standing up and walk over to her side of the desk. He spun her swivel chair around so that she would face him, and he reduced himself to his knees. "Please, forgive me. I'll get out of the mob; I'll do anything. I'll do anything for you; I love you." He took her hands into his and kissed them. "I don't want to be stubborn anymore; I don't want to hurt you more than I already have. I love you, Alexis, and I always will."

"It's too late for that, Julian. You should have taken the chances I gave you when they were given." The words were choked out, unnatural and Julian knew that she didn't mean them, at least not wholeheartedly.

He looked up at her with watery eyes, "It isn't too late. There's so much left for us, Alexis. You can't deny that; you can't deny that you still love me."

"If you don't leave me alone, I will file a restraining order against you," she ripped her hands away from his. In her mind, though, she had answered passionately with an "I love you," that would have shaken the world.

Julian sighed, disappointed. "I'll leave now, and give you time to think about what I said. I'm not giving up on you, no matter how much you threaten me and push me away."

Julian walked away, and as he did Alexis reached for his hand, but she was a second too late. His hand was out of her reach. He disappeared all too quickly out of her door, not looking back, though she had never taken her eyes off of him.

Diane came in, knowing that it hadn't gone well from the look on Julian's face as he had exited. "Hun, you're making a huge mistake in denying that man your love."

"I know, I know, I know," she repeated as she shook her head, looking at the floor in disbelief. She turned back to her work, thinking of the child growing inside of her and the father of her children.

Julian had wished that their meeting would have gone differently. He hoped that with time, Alexis would give up the façade she was trying to keep up, break down and finally let him into her life again. But for now, he had another problem to deal with. He had to confront Olivia, and figure out how to deal with the fact that she was expecting his child. Thinking of Olivia carrying his child, it felt so wrong to him…

Olivia had just gotten off the phone with the OBGYN's office. She had made an appointment for two weeks from now, and was looking forward to seeing the baby for the first time on the monitor. She knew that she wouldn't be able to see what it looked like, but when it is born, she wanted the baby to look like Ned. It would have his dimples and endearing smile. It would have his brown eyes, and they would glimmer in just the same way as his. She sighed thinking about it, and began to regret telling Carly (who then told all of Port Charles) that the baby was Julian's. It was the worst lie that she had ever told, and she now feared that it would drive Alexis closer to Ned.

There was a knock at the door which pulled her away from her thoughts. She opened to door and gasped when she saw none other than Julian Jerome.

"We need to talk." He didn't sound happy, and she feared that he remembered the conversation that they had had on New Year's Eve.

"Sure, come in." She shut the door behind him and led him to the living room. "Sit down, make yourself comfortable."

Julian did so, but didn't hesitate to bring up the topic that they both had feared. "I heard that you're pregnant with my child. What do you have to say about that?"

Olivia twiddles her thumbs nervously. "Look, I'm so sorry about what happened. You have every right to be mad."

"I'm mad at myself…and this all seems unreal. But I can't help but ask; did we really sleep together on New Year's Eve? I was so drunk that night; it's all just a haze to me."

Olivia stared at him in shock, now knowing for sure that he had no recollection of that evening. She stared at the wall, regret in her eyes. She didn't know how to proceed, but he spoke before she could.

"I assume I should take your silence as a yes then. I want to apologize for the burden that I have put upon you. I would like to be a part of the child's life, and if you need help in any way, I will. But anything more than that, I cannot do."

Olivia was crying, completely distraught. This was a problem that she caused and was now afraid of reversing it. She broke down into tears, the stress getting to her. Julian moved to sit next to her, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Am I a terrible person for assuming that this is just hormones?" he asked.

Olivia laughed, but it was a painful laugh. She wished that she could have turned back time, have not told Carly that the baby was Julian's. But now what was done was done, and she couldn't easily tell him that it was a false rumor. That would only bring up the question of who the real father was, and no one could know that this baby was Ned's—not when Ned was in love with Alexis. There was no good or simple way to fix the problem she had caused. So, she opted to keep the charade up a little longer until she found a better way to go about this. "Would you like to come to the next OBGYN appointment? I will understand if you don't want to."

Julian nodded, smiling nervously. "I think I'd like that. Thank you, Olivia."

He walked out of that apartment, feeling like he had been trampled by a truck. Though he had said he had wanted to go, he really didn't. Truthfully, he imagined that his next child would be fathered by Alexis. In fact, he had dreamed of it on many occasions. But this, this was something that had been dropped on him out of the blue, hit him on the head and knocked him out. It didn't sit right with him. Despite that, he would love the child. It was his, after all…


	6. Chapter 6

vi

Alexis couldn't go to the OBGYN alone; she had an immense fear of going through this pregnancy alone. Many times throughout the day she would tell herself to tell Julian about the pregnancy, but then would remember that Olivia was pregnant with his child too. She would stop herself from going to his pent house or the gallery to tell him all she need to say, and would lie in her bed instead. As she lay, she would rub circles into her abdomen and think of Julian. Would the baby look like him or would it look like her? Would it be a boy or a girl? If it ends up being a boy, would he like fast cars? If it ends up a girl, would she be as stubborn as both of her parents? Alexis prided herself on being a brave woman, but now she felt like she was a coward. She ran away from love; she ran away from being with Julian. And it was because of her cowardice that she feared of going through this pregnancy alone.

Ned had offered to go with Alexis to her checkup. He knew that she was going through hard times, and though she had put him through hell, he still wanted to help her in any way that he could. That was why on the day that she had told him that she hadn't told Julian yet and that she was scared that she would have to go through this pregnancy alone, that he decided that he would help her through this. After all, there once was a time that he had helped her through a pregnancy, faked being the father of the child. After debating with her on it, she finally gave in and allowed him to come with.

"How are you feeling?" Julian asked Olivia awkwardly.

"You know, aside from the morning sickness, the fatigue and the hormones, I feel just fine," Olivia said sarcastically.

He hadn't been able to say another word to Olivia after that; he already felt broken up over the whole ordeal. It was more than enough for him to feel like a pile of garbage because of his mistakes. He didn't need her to treat him like it too; Olivia was at fault for this as much as he was.

Julian sighed a sigh of relief when the nurse had called Olivia's name. Olivia looked at him, a mixture of regret and fear in her eyes. "It's okay if you changed your mind. If you don't want me to go with you, I'll be fine with it." He truly meant the words he had said.

"I'm sorry," she said as she ran off alone into the room. After carefully thinking about making the offer for him to come with, she had realized that she had made a mistake. She was too far along; if he came with, he would know automatically that the baby wasn't his. The doctor would say the words, "You're ten weeks along," and Julian would storm out of that room lividly in realization that he was duped. Olivia knew that she would have to tell him eventually, but she wanted to tell him directly when she felt that she was ready to. But also, it felt so wrong to have Julian come with her when Ned was the father.

"Do you want me to wait here for you?" He called after her.

She disappeared into a room and didn't answer. He opted to stay, reasoning that it was better she be mad at him for staying than have her coming to him and letting all hell loose for him not staying. He felt a sort of obligation, not to Olivia, but the child within her, too.

He tapped his foot in the waiting room, looking through pictures of his family on his phone. He stumbled upon a particular photo of him and Alexis; they were on the front porch of her old home, smiling happily. The photo was taken just days before her home was burned down. He knew that he had hurt her, hurt her family, and he had no right to ask her of anything anymore—but, he still missed and wanted to be with her. For a moment he allowed himself to get absorbed by all the sweet memories of her, the images of her lying naked on his bed, of her simply hugging him when she felt like he needed her comfort and love.

He snapped back to reality when he heard Alexis' voice. It was accompanied by Ned Ashton's as well as one of a doctor. "I told you that everything would be fine, Alexis. You didn't need to worry about it so much."

"He's right," the doctor began. "The baby is the right size for six weeks, its heartbeat is strong and it looks to be perfectly healthy. As long as you keep your stress to a minimum and take care of yourself, you will have a beautiful and healthy baby in your hands some time at the end of August or beginning of September." The trio stopped at the end of the hallway, and Alexis shifted uncomfortably. She felt a familiar presence in the room, but thought that it was just her mind playing tricks on her.

Julian saw Alexis there, looking beyond beautiful. He couldn't blink and he couldn't breathe. His Alexis was pregnant. But the man with her wasn't himself, it was Ned Ashton. He felt a motely of feelings, most of which were some variation of confusion. Six weeks… It had been six weeks since he and Alexis had made love on that beautiful New Year's Eve. It had been six weeks since he and Alexis had parted ways so painfully.

He stood up from his chair, the chair's leg screeching against the tiled floor. Alexis snapped her head up and was startled by the sight of him. It felt like her heart had escaped the confines of her chest for that brief moment and time had seemingly stopped as they looked at each other, sad expressions on both their faces. Had he heard the conversation that had just taken place? Oh what was she to do?

Julian walked up to her, a cocky air around him; but, there was something else too. Beneath the arrogance, there was a hint of apprehension. Something had unhinged him so thoroughly, pushed him roughly off of his high horse that he had so treasured. There was Ned Ashton, possible usurper of the throne, possible thief of all that Julian treasured, standing right next to Alexis in his place.

"We need to talk," he breathed, trying to remain as calm as possible.

Alexis nodded as Julian led her outside into the hallways. Ned undoubtedly followed. They walked to the end of the hallway, where there wasn't a single soul to bother them.

"You heard everything?" Alexis asked, knowing that it was a useless question. Her arms were folded over her chest as she looked over to the right, biting her lip.

Julian nodded. "Is the child mine?"

She pursed her lips and stared at her feet, unable to look at him. She couldn't answer, unsure of what she should say to him, but too painfully aware of what the right answer was. He placed a hand upon her cheek and repeated the question softly. Ned was on the sidelines, ready to protect Alexis from Julian if need be.

"Please, Julian. Just drop it and forget that you heard anything."

"The hell I will. The doctor said that you were six weeks along. You know very well what we did six weeks ago. If the child is mine, I have a right to know."

She shook her head, feeling lost. The close proximity to Julian was unwinding her slowly; she could feel his breath rolling off of her neck. She remained silent, unsure of how to proceed.

"Is it Ned's?" Julian finally asked, defeated. Julian knew that Alexis was 'dating' Ned, but he never thought that she would sleep with him. He always believed that she would remain faithful to him, if she still possessed feeling for him.

Her silence was irritating him. "Or is it mine?" He raised his voice, unable to wait for an answer any longer.

Ned stepped in, panicking. "Why do you think I'm here with her, Julian? The child is mine. We've had a paternity test done a little less than two weeks ago to prove it."

Julian wasn't the type of man to cry openly; he detested showing his vulnerability. But, now that he felt that his heart had been ripped from his chest, thrown into the mud and stomped upon, he let the tears fall. Those tears didn't escape Alexis' notice. "Is it true, Alexis?"

"Yes," she croaked. "Ned is the father."

Suddenly it all made sense; that is why Alexis had been so cold and distant with him two weeks ago in her office. She knew then that the child wasn't his, and had tried to push him away from her because of it. His heart was yanked out of his chest at that moment, and left to bleed on the floor of Alexis' feet. Maybe the child wasn't his, and maybe Alexis didn't want to be with him, and despite all of this—he still gave Alexis his heart to keep, forever.

Julian nodded, "I'll leave you alone then. Thank you for your time. I'll make sure to never bother you again." Julian turned around, his head hung low. "I loved you and cherished our time together, I hope you know that. Goodbye, Alexis." He walked off, defeated, a lone soldier who had lost his comrades in battle. And the words, "Ned is the father," rang in his head, endlessly torturing him as he walked away from the only shred of hope and goodness that he had ever had in his life.

Alexis stared at Ned, unable to fathom that they were going to go through this once again. The first time that they had done this, it had done more harm than good. There were many casualties because of it. Alexis thought of Kristina. This wasn't the right path to go down, she knew.

She felt as if her world was ending, fading to a stale gray. The farther Julian walked down that hallway, the farther her heart drifted away from her. She ran after him, looking at Ned one last time and mouthing the words, "I'm sorry," to him.

Alexis caught up to him just as he had reached the middle of the hallway, and she grabbed hold of his hand. Julian turned around abruptly, looking at Alexis with sad eyes. She took his hand and placed it on her abdomen. For that moment, they felt like they were the only two people in the world. Julian didn't care if Alexis had lied to him, he didn't care that she had made him cry. All that mattered was the she had chased after him, and that she had showed him that this child was really his.

"I'm so sorry. I can't lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you anymore. Please, forgive me," she sobbed.

Julian took her in a warm embrace, stroking her hair with one of his hands. "Shh, it's okay. You're forgiven. All that matters is that the truth came out now. I love you."

"I love you too," she buried her face in his shoulder and bunched up his shirt in her hands, grabbing onto him—the one thing that made her feel stable.

Ned smiled from the other end of the hallway, glad that Alexis had come around and told Julian the truth. At the same time, Olivia came out of the doctor's office, walking into the hallway. She looked to her left and saw Ned standing alone, smiling. She looked to her right and saw Julian and Alexis embracing each other. She heard Alexis repeating, "You're the father, you're the father, you're the father," to Julian. She automatically knew that Alexis was pregnant too.

He brought her even closer to him and kissed the top of her head. "And I'm so happy to be the father, Alexis."

Olivia stormed out of the hallway, running off knowing that she had made the biggest mistake in letting all of Port Charles think that Julian was the father of her child. She would cause pain to Alexis and Julian, and they were not deserving of it.

Julian and Alexis separated, shocked by the sound of heels clicking against the floor hurriedly. As Alexis saw Olivia running off, her heart broke. She remembered that Olivia was also the mother of one of his children. She felt like she was drowning, being suffocated by the situation at hand. Yet, she found Julian's hand and grabbed hold of it, squeezing it lightly as if to say, "Despite all of this, I still want to be with you."

Suddenly, Ned came rushing past to two, running after Olivia and calling after her.


	7. Chapter 7

vii

Ned chased after Olivia, following her into the hospital parking lot. She was already in her car, her head against the steering wheel as she sobbed into it powerfully. His heart broke at the sight, and it was at that moment that he realized how much he had fallen in love with her. He knocked on her window, smiling meekly. Her head shot up and she stared at Ned, her eyes blood shot and her lips quivering. She bit her lip before deciding to unlock her door.

He enters the car through the passenger's seat side door, and sits down, sighing. "I hate to see you cry, you know," he begins. His goal is to make her smile first, and then to talk her through her worries and pain.

"It's hard to believe that, since you've already made me cry so many times."

"But I'm not the reason why you're crying right now, right?"

She nodded, "No, I'm crying because I'm just some hormone-charged pregnant woman who can't handle what she saw in the hallway. After all, I knew that Julian and Alexis would get together eventually, it's beyond obvious that they've always loved each other despite their fights and separation's; it's been that way from the get-go."

Ned put his hand on her shoulder, "So, I'm going to assume that they're the reason why you ran off and locked yourself up in your car to cry."

She hesitated for a moment before stuttering a quiet, "yes".

"I heard that Julian is the father of your child."

She looked at Ned, with such sad eyes. Her heart was telling her to tell him that she had falsely told Carly that the child was Julian's, but her mind was saying that it was the wrong time. There was something deep within her the commanded her to keep this a secret, that later it could come it. "It is," she acknowledged.

Ned felt a sort of jealousy, one that was far greater than he had felt when he was with Alexis. He wanted to rip Julian apart for impregnating Olivia, for taking an innocent victim, using her for his pleasure, and throwing her away like she was a piece of garbage afterwards. "I don't want you to cry because of them anymore. Forget Julian; all he will bring you is a world of trouble that you don't want."

Guilt was eating at her, but she willingly lied through her teeth. "You're right Ned, I shouldn't cry over him anymore." Tears poured down her cheeks harder this time; it pained her to lie to Ned.

"Good, because I'm going to make sure you never have a reason to cry again. I know that I fruitlessly chased after Alexis, when I had such a beautiful and intelligent woman who loved me right in front of me in the entire time. And I'm so sorry for not taking the chance to be with you when you gave it to me, and I'm sorry for leading you on at the time. But because of all my mistakes, I've come to realize that I have strong feelings for you, Olivia. And more than that, I've come to realize that even though it angers me what Julian has done to you, I don't care that this child is his. If you'll let me, I want to take care of you and this child. I want to try and have a life with you. I know this is sudden, but—"

Olivia cut him off with a kiss, a rush of passion and hopes filling her from her core. She knew that her actions would come with tremendous consequences, but she was ready to dive head first into a life with Ned, no matter what it would bring. She would eventually bring herself to tell him the truth, and hopefully that would be soon.

Julian back crashed against the door of Sam's pent house as Alexis and Julian's lips battled for dominance. He placed his hands on Alexis hips and he pulled her closer to him. "I've missed you," she mumbled against his lips, before nibbling on his bottom lip, which made him close his eyes at the nearly intoxicating combination of pleasure and pain. He buried a hand in her hair as his other hand wandered to her lower back; his hand slipped beneath her shirt and he reveled at the feeling of her warm, silky skin against his fingertips.

She ripped her lips from his, "I need you now, Julian," she growled.

He reversed their position, gently placing her back against the door, mindful of the fact that she was carrying his child. "I have no issue with that." Just as he was about to reclaim her lips, she turned her head.

"Not out here; I don't want to have someone walk in on us."

"Come on, it'll be more fun this way."

"You're incorrigible." She placed a peck on his lips.

He frowned in disappointment as she turned around and took the key to the pent house out of her pocket. She gasped as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back toward him; she could feel his raging erection through their clothing, and the thought of their need for each other made her dizzy from arousal. She closed her eyes, the key dropping out of her hand.

Julian opened the door for her, letting her out of his grip (too soon, in her opinion). Julian kicked the key into the home as Alexis turned around grasped his white collared shirt in her hands and pulled him inside, her eyes gazing into his. Soon, her mouth was on top of his, and they tumbled onto the floor in a frenzy of passion. Their tongues danced and Alexis wrapped her legs around Julian. She moaned into his lips and arched her body his hands slipped into her pants.

"Dad…? MOM!" The two heard their daughter scream.

Julian jumped off of Alexis in response, of look of shameless guilt spread across his face. Sam dropped the bat that she had been carrying on the floor, a mortified look upon her face. When she had hear rustling and there a crash on the lower level, she had thought there an intruder had entered her home. She was more than surprised to see her two parents well on their way to going at it like rabbits.

Alexis sat up; her head hung low in order to conceal the wide smile and blush that were spread across her face. "I'm sorry, Sam…"

"No need to apologize; I'm glad that you two are back together… It's just, next time, I'm going to need a warning beforehand. My corneas have sustained so much damage because of this."

"I'm sorry that your mother and I are too much for your corneas," Julian joked.

Alexis slapped his arm, "Julian!"

"Well, it's true."

She would punish him later for that; in the bedroom, his hands and feet tied to the bed post.

"But… you two are together now, right?" Sam asked hesitantly, knowing that it was a touchy subject. Bringing up the subject of Julian to her mother just a week ago had been like walking on egg shells and had brought them both to tears in the end.

Julian looked and Alexis, and Alexis looked at Julian; they both wanted to exclaim and adamant "yes" but both were unsure of the other's true thoughts. They smiled when realized that they were both thinking the same thing. "Yes, Sam, we're together—hopefully, for good," Alexis answered. It made Julian happy to no bounds to hear Alexis say those words. Both knew that they had a lot to discuss, but at the same time they both hoped that despite the turn that said discussion may take, it would result in the conclusion that they wanted to be together no matter what bumps they may have to face in the future.

"God damnit," Sam whispered, "If you two had just waited three more days to reunite I wouldn't owe him fifty bucks."

"Samantha Morgan, how could you and your half-brother place bets on when your father and I would get back together?" Alexis spoke in a motherly tone.

"Because half the town knew that you two would eventually get back together, so why not try and get some money out of it?" she joked.

"I blame you for passing your cruel sense of humor onto her," Alexis spat out to Julian.

He chuckled, amused by the interaction between the three of them. "Come on, get up—there's no use in fighting over this now." He got up first and then offered his hand to Alexis.

"I'm sorry to inform you both that I just put Danny to sleep… So if you two want to—well, you know—you'll have to go elsewhere."

"No, it's fine really. We should have dinner anyway, or something. I'm starving; is anyone else hungry? I could get something from Kelly's."

"Did you two forget that it's Valentine's Day?"

They stared at her blankly; at their age, Valentine's Day didn't mean much anymore. It was a holiday more for lovesick teenagers and young adults.

"Well, in any case I would much rather you both go out and have a romantic evening. You two deserve it."

"Well, what do you think Alexis?"

"It would take me an hour or two to get ready for that sort of thing. And, we're not really those romantic-types. I mean, okay, it would be nice—but, well…" Secretly, Alexis had always fantasized about Julian taking her out on a romantic evening; a candle lit dinner for two and then a night of passionate love-making. But, she thought it too embarrassing, and a blush spread across her face.

He kissed her forehead, "Get ready and go to the Metro Court—ask for my room number at the front desk." A plan was already brewing inside of his head.

"Okay," she whispered.

Alexis knocked on the door of room 207 hours later, dressed in a fitted burgundy dress with a low neckline that revealed just enough of her beautiful bust. Julian opened the door, and gazed at her from head to toe, drinking up her beauty with his eyes. "You look stunning," he uttered sultrily.

She smiled, "You don't look so bad yourself." He wore a simple navy blue suit with a pale blue button-up shirt underneath, but he looked beyond sexy in it.

He took her hand in his and led her into the room; a table with a white table cloth was set up perfectly for a candlelit dinner for two. In the middle was a small vase with a single gardenia in it, which in her opinion was a far better centerpiece than any rose. A simple, yet delicious pasta dish was sitting on both of the plates.

"You didn't have to go through all of this trouble, Julian."

"But I wanted to, for you, for us. It's a new beginning for us, and want this night to be symbolic of that."

"Thank you."

He pulled out the chair for her in a gentleman-like manner, and she was surprised at the gesture. Once they were both seated, he poured them both a glass of non-alcoholic wine. He figured that if she couldn't have alcohol because of her pregnancy that neither could he. They were in this together, one hundred percent, in his mind.

"You could drink something else, you know, that has alcohol content."

He sipped at his wine, which he was surprised to find wasn't half-bad. "If you can't have alcohol, I won't either. If you're can't eat sushi, I won't either. We're in this together."

It touched her heart to hear those words, but she couldn't help but joke with him a little. "So, if I can't do push-ups, you won't either, then?"

He chuckled, "You have no idea how much I love you."

They stared into each other's eyes, neither of them having touched their food yet. "I love you too," she husked out, a wave of arousal overtaking her. Though they had intended on have a romantic get-together, passion was bound to consume them in its fiery flames. She couldn't wait through a dinner to have him; no, she absolutely had to have him right at that second. She stood up from her chair and walked over to him, neither breaking eye contact. She sat on top of him, her dress riding up her thighs; he didn't question her actions, for he knew that he couldn't have waited through an entire dinner to have her either. Six weeks of being apart, six week without her in his arms—it felt like an eternity had passed without her in his life.

Her lips captured his swiftly, and he allowed her to take control of the kiss. As their tongues intertwined, she removed his suit jacket and made ample progress in removing his button-down shirt. The taste of him beneath the flavor of the wine was what she imagined ambrosia would taste like; it was a nearly indescribable taste, but the taste of him hooked her instantly whenever their lips would meet.

As she placed kisses along his jawline and later down his neck, his hands traveled up her thighs and underneath her dress. Her dress was removed of her head quickly, and their lips found each other soon after. She stood for a moment, allowing him time for him to take his pants and boxers off. They had no time to make it to the bed which was only meters away from them; she would have him on this chair, have him mind, body and soul at that moment.

She straddled him, and took his erection into her hands, guiding it to her opening. "You make me go crazy," she whispered as she began to ride him, hard but slowly. His head fell back and he groaned out in ecstasy. "But I love you for all of you, for how you make me feel."

He clasped his hands onto her hips, rubbing circles into them with his thumbs. He took one of her nipples into his mouth as she rode him, and nibbled on it carefully. She rode into him harder in response, and the chair tipped back from the force. The fell onto the floor, his back crashing down onto it hard, but the pain only added to the pleasure. They changed position so that Alexis was on her back, and he began to break her back just the way she liked it. She cried out his name repeatedly when he found the perfect spot in her depths.

"I want to know," he whispered, wrapping his hand around her neck and letting her bottom lip slowly slip out of his lips as she opened her mouth to let out yet another moan, "I want to know how it feels to have come to your senses."

Words failed her, and so an onslaught of moans sufficed as she slipped into a powerful string of orgasms. He came soon after she did, and they stayed on the floor panting. Time seemingly stopped as they lay in each other's arms, finally in a place where they felt like they truly belonged.


	8. Chapter 8

viii

"Alexis," he whispered into the night, turning onto his side and wrapping his arms around the body lying next to him. He breathed in the scent of her hair, but it wasn't quite right. Beneath his fingertips, the skin of the woman doesn't feel the same. It's not the same supple skin that he had grown to love. Her body doesn't make him grow wild with desire. Where was the all-consuming passion that he always felt whenever he was so close to Alexis? Who is the woman lying in bed next to him? He knew for certain that it wasn't his Alexis Davis.

"Honey, what did you say?" Olivia turned around to face him, her hot breath rolling against his neck. Her fingers slid over his lips. "Mmm, come here. Did you want to play?" She rolled him onto his back, and climbed on top of him. She clapped her hands and the lights turned on. She noticed the confused look on his face "Is something wrong?" She kissed his nose. "It'll all be okay." She dragged the back of her hand along his cheek.

"I'm sorry, I was just having a nightmare," he stuttered and then gulped, unable to believe that what was happening was indeed reality. It all felt horribly wrong. A sinking feeling overtook him.

"Do you want to talk about it? What was it about?" Care was in her voice, but it disgusted him. Olivia Falconeri was the type of woman who relived him, who couldn't stand the sight of him. What had happened to the Olivia Falconeir he had known?

"Alexis…" The name rolled off of his tongue.

"You don't have to worry about her anymore. Your men got rid of her and that abomination of a child, so that we could be together. Just you and I and our baby. I love you, Julian." Her lips inched closer to his, and an ocean of black consumed them. He drowned in a sea of terror; this was not the way things were supposed to be.

He jumped up from bed, screaming. "Alexis, Alexis, ALEXIS!"

"Julian, what's happening? Are you okay?" she jumped up from bed and placed her hand on her chest in an attempt to calm her racing heart.

He tackled Alexis in a hug, bringing her into a passionate kiss.

She broke the kiss, and put her finger on his lips to stop him from kissing her again. "You had a nightmare?" she sighed.

He nodded, and she lied down, turning her lamp on as she did. She already knew what the theme of the nightmare was. "Come here, darling."

He lied down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. The nightmares had begun since they had returned from the hospital after he had learned about Alexis' pregnancy. His subconscious was telling him that Olivia's pregnancy was weighing down on him, and at night it would appear in dreams that either involved one of the two dying or Olivia coming on to him.

"I hate seeing you like this, Julian. Maybe you need to speak with Olivia." The thought of him speaking to Olivia, however, sickened her to her stomach. She didn't want Julian near another woman, particularly Olivia, but knew that if he talked to her it might ease the thoughts in his head.

"I'm sorry," he utters sadly.

"We're both at fault for what's happened, Julian. I don't blame you for what you've done. We've already—you've already made it clear to me that that night was a result of your drunkenness and heartbreak. Not to mention, I've done terrible things to you as well." She smiled weakly, but in the confines of her chest, her heart shattered like a frail frozen blossom hitting the pavement on a chilly late-autumn evening. "Unless, you have feelings for her," she intoned weakly, a tear slipping down her cheek.

Julian moved so that Alexis could put her head on his chest. "How could you say a thing like that? You know you're the only woman I love."

"Then why do you have so many dreams about her?" Alexis spit and sat up, her legs underneath her.

"I feel this guilt weighing down on me for what I've done. It's killing me that I can't change the events of that night." Julian sat up and engulfed Alexis in a hug. "But, none of what happened that night changes how I feel about you; how I've always felt about you."

"Are you going to speak to Olivia, then?"

"If you want me to."

"I don't. But at the same time, I think it may be for the best. It may solve the problem of your nightmares."

"Then, I will. And if you want, you can come along too."

"Do you mean that?"

He kissed her forehead. "Of course."

Alexis lied back down; Julian slipped under the covers. He put his lips against her swollen abdomen, and began to speak to the baby. "Hey, this is your daddy." His breath tickled her, but she didn't say a word. The moment is pure perfection to her. "I hope you can hear me. I want you to know that I love your mommy very much, and that I love you very much too—we both do. Maybe one day you will hear us fighting, but you shouldn't think too much of it. It's just another way of us telling each other, "I love you". Good night, peanut."

Julian's head popped out from under the covers, and Alexis smiled a watery smile. "Peanut?" she questions him.

"We don't know if it's a boy or a girl, so I've decided to call him or her 'Peanut' for the time being."

"I don't think I've ever loved you more," she pressed her lips against his.

"I love you too," he murmured against her lips and then kisses her back harder.

She pushed him away from her, "As much as I want to, I have to be in court early in the morning. Neither the judge nor my client would be happy to have a sleepy attorney on their hands."

"Come on, it's the best kind of exhaustion."

"You can tire me out after I come home from work." She turned the lamp light off and pulled him down onto the bed. "Until then, I guess you'll just have to wait."

"Peanut, I change my mind. Your mother doesn't love me."

She slapped his arm. "Peanut, your father is an idiot."

"Peanut, tell your mother to stop insulting me."

"Peanut, your father is out of luck. You can't speak yet."

"Peanut, tell your mother I said good night."

Alexis pecked him on the lips. "Good night, Julian." She fell asleep with a broad smile on her face that night.

Julian on the other hand had trouble sleeping that night. He would have to speak with Olivia eventually, and he feared for the day that he would. He still hadn't quite come to terms that two of his children were on the way—two children from different women. He had promised Alexis that he would let her come along if she wanted to, but he wasn't sure it was for the best…

Sam stayed up late that night watching a movie with Molly. Molly hadn't paid much attention to the movie, though. She was lost in her thoughts about recent events. She had moved in with Ric and Elizabeth, but regularly slept over at Sam's house. Alexis had allowed it, mostly because she couldn't bear to see her daughter so upset all of the time anymore. However, she only agreed to the arrangement if Molly agreed to come over to dinner twice a week. All had gone well for a time. Then, Julian had burst into their lives again, and ever since that day, her mother had been acting strangely. "Do you think something is off with mom?" Molly asked once the movie rolled into the closing credits.

"I'm not sure. Ever since she got back with Julian she's been acting a bit strange."

Molly winced at the mention of Julian; she still hadn't forgiven him for all that he had done. "Maybe she just feels bad about moving in with him. Or realizes that it's a huge mistake and doesn't want to say anything about it."

Sam rolled her eyes. "It's not that. I think they're hiding something from us."

"Now that you mention it… Mom only acts like an awkward mess whenever she's hiding a secret from your or me."

"So what do we do about it?"

Molly puts a finger on her lip, thinking pensively. "You want to get it out of her, Sam?"  
>"I'll get Julian, you get mom. Whoever gets the secret out of one of them first makes the loser pay for dinner."<p>

"Deal!"


	9. Chapter 9

ix

Ned is out of town, off visiting his daughter Brooklyn. He had asked for Olivia to come along with him, but she had told him that it was something that he should do alone because Brooklyn is his daughters and she wants them to be able to have uninterrupted bonding time. And while that was true, at the same time Olivia didn't want to go because the guilt of keeping that baby's true parentage a secret from Ned was eating away at her nerves. She had become jumpy around him, and at first Ned had thought it was because she was sexually charged due to her fluctuating hormones, but soon realized that something was troubling her. The issue was left unresolved, since Ned had left before they could address it.

"So what do you think baby, should I tell your daddy before or after you're born? Would he even believe me?" Olivia rubs circle into her swollen abdomen and smiles, "You know, the more I think of you, the more I think that you'll look exactly like your daddy. I just have this feeling; and the moment he holds you after you're born, he'll know he's really the father. But that's too good to be true, isn't it? Oh why did I ever have to say that that stupid Julian Jerome is your father?"

Then, she feels a slight pain in her lower abdomen. She prays that it's her unborn child deciding to kick her harder than usual, but the pain intensifies. Soon it feels as if the dullest knife is sawing back and forth through the middle of her uterus. She reaches out for the phone, but falls to the floor, clutching her abdomen in pain. She yells for help, praying that someone is at home in the Quartermaine Mansion.

"What in the devil is going on here?" Tracy traipses in, a glass of bourbon in hand. The bourbon falls from her hand, her mouth agape from the sight of Olivia on the floor. "Oh my god. Do I call the police? An ambulance?"

If Olivia had gotten a hold of the phone, she would have chucked it at Tracy. The woman is absolutely infuriating! Why did she have to be the one to come to her rescue? "Yes—just do something!"

Tray runs to the phone and immediately dials 911. "There's a pregnant woman on the floor. She might be having a miscarriage. I need someone to send an ambulance to the Quartermaine residence immediately."

"Really fucking reassuring words, Tracy!" Olivia yells through the pain.

"Well, at least I got an ambulance to be sent over."

"For the love of God, just shut up!"

Tracy folds her arms over her chest and glares at Olivia. She watches as Olivia turns pale and breaks out into a sweat. "I'm sorry. Do you need anything? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Call the father." Olivia says, thinking of Ned and forgetting about Julian. Olivia breathes heavily, and clutching her abdomen she shrieks. As the paramedics rush into the home, Olivia's vision begins to grow blurry. She feels them pick her up and place her onto a gurney.

"Ma'am, how far along are you?" She hears a female paramedic say.

Olivia can't respond, too in pain to even form words. She stares blankly at the floor as the paramedics carry her away. She feels all hope and happiness drain from her, just like the blood which is trickling down her leg at this very moment. Tears fall from her eyes as she places her hand on top of her abdomen, now growing numb. "This is what I get," she thinks, "This is what I get for lying."

Olivia wakes up and winces in pain.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake," She hears a male voice say.

"Ned," she whispers, reaching out.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm Julian." Julian stares at her hand for a moment, pitying her. "The doctor said it's placenta previa. Considering your age, it's not unusual. But also because of it, he said that you'll have to be on bed rest for the rest of your pregnancy." His words are hollow, and he's unsure of what do to in this situation. He feels no compassion for this woman, no love whatsoever, but the baby that she carries within her—he feels this weight in his chest growing. It's not the same feeling he has when he thinks of the child growing within Alexis. This isn't pure, unadulterated love. This is different; it feels like a foreign body had placed itself in his heart, a constant reminder of what mistake he had done.

"Thank god, the baby is alive." Olivia breaks out into sobs, and Julian, out of pity, places his hand on top of hers.

"Everything will be alright. Just take care of yourself, and make sure to take it easy."

Olivia feels a flutter in her stomach, and is taken aback by it. The hand that Julian is touching tingles and the feeling terrifies her. "Thank you," she stutters and pulls her hand away from his.

"To think, one of my children was almost lost today," his words trail off, his voice cracking. He realizes that though he feels differently about this child, he still loves it. Despite the fact that it was conceived in a loveless one night stand, he knew he could never live the rest of his life without loving that child.

"How did you know that I was here?"

"Tracy called Alexis to tell me that you were being rushed to the hospital. She said that you said to call the father."

"Oh, right." Olivia purses her lips, thinking back to Ned.

"You would probably rather have Ned by your side though, I'm sure."

She smiles weakly and nods, "He's been good to me."

"What about the child?"

"He says that he will love it like it is his own." The irony of her words makes her want to laugh a bitter laugh, but she bites it back.

"I want visitation rights," Julian says blatantly. "I know that it's not the best time to bring this up, but if the child is really mine, I deserve to be able to be a part of his or her life."

"Her. It's a girl. And we—we will speak about that later, when I can."

Julian nods, smirking. "Thanks for ruining the surprise."

She smiles, finding herself getting lost him. He is affecting her, and that fact horrifies her. She finds him attractive, and in a way, charming. Beneath the bad-boy exterior, there is some soft, caring part to him that she finds herself falling for. His bitter sense of humor, his sarcasm—she finds herself liking. She feels conflicted, knowing that she has feelings for Ned as well. How could she have let this happen?

Olivia winces again, letting out a soft whimper.

"Is something wrong? Should I call for a doctor?"

"The baby is kicking."

Julian reaches out to her abdomen, but then snaps his hand backwards. "I—I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine… I understand if you want to feel it kick."

He nods and places his hand on top of her abdomen and feels the baby kicking through the thin blanket. "Wow, she's a strong one. Maybe she'll be a soccer player when she's older."

"As long as she doesn't get into the mob—" she stops herself.

He chuckles, "What a low blow. But I don't care. I've heard worse about my ties to the mob."

"Despite it all, you're not half bad, Jerome. I thought that you might like to know." She's digging herself into a ditch, and she knows it. She should tell him now that he isn't the father, but what good would that do without Ned here? And now, now it is much worse. How could she have let herself start to fall for Julian Jerome?

Julian doesn't take those words to heart, nor does he care about what Olivia thinks of him. He is doing this for the child, and only the child. His hand upon Olivia's stomach—nothing felt more wrong than that. He imagined for a moment that it was Alexis who was smiling up at him, and that they were exchanging laughter and kisses over their baby, whom they still called 'peanut'.

Alexis watches from the door, tears streaming down her eyes. The intimate moment shared between the two breaks her heart. Her hand is placed upon her swollen abdomen, and she tries to imagine that Julian was placing his hand upon her abdomen and not Olivia's. Maybe he was lying to himself, and that he really does have feeling for Olivia. Alexis feels jealous and possessive; the thought of him with another woman makes her feel nauseous. But what is she to do now, now that Julian was betraying her by letting himself get close to another woman? She couldn't believe what was happening before her eyes; perhaps it was all just a terrible nightmare. But she knows that this is reality because of how much it hurts her to see the scene before her.

"Julian," she whispers, going against the voices in her head which were telling her to run away and leave Julian to another woman. She steps into the room and Julian turns his head, removing his hand from Olivia's abdomen. The look on her face tears Julian's heart apart. He feels even more agonized than Alexis at that moment, because knowing how horrible she felt made him feel ten times worse than she. If her heart were to break in two, his heart would shatter completely.

Alexis drops her purse on the floor, "Why, Julian? Just why?"


End file.
